Coεmeta Public Work Log 2022.0.veu — Foundations & Emergence
Vernal Equinox Update (3/20/2022): initial launch & wayfinding equilibrium as a ‘solopreneur’
This is the first of many intended Public Work Log entries for Coεmeta, a Public Benefit LLC providing data & sensemaking services with positive externalities. It is intended as a window into our journey & playbook as it develops, in the spirit of working in public, contributing to knowledge commons, “finding the others” & leaving a trail + some resources for those that follow. I hope it inspires more folks to follow a similarly rewarding path & find similar (if modest & provisional) success. Feel free to reach out at any time, I’m happy to help however I can!
- Daniel McNichol, founder & Chief Data Scientist
This post is an excerpt of the full versions available at: Github (primary source & version control) & Roam (navigable outline format)
…comments, forks & pull requests are welcome!
📜 Prologue: backstory & motivations
Coεmeta is my attempt at an infinite game. The goal of infinite games is not to win, but to keep playing.
I consider this my metagame (as opposed to endgame):
a more balanced, integrated, enriching & impactful life in greater community
To pursue this metagame indefinitely (aka “infinitely”), I needed to reclaim some agency & autonomy in my work. So Coεmeta is also currently a Pennsylvania Public Benefit LLC, serving as a vehicle for more traditional freelance & consulting work, as well as broader public-benefit oriented activities.
(My longer-term vision for Coεmeta as a formal entity is something more like a worker-owned cooperative or DAO with shared collective ownership, or at least part of a federated network of mutual aid & partnerships with other “self-sovereign” ᵋ groups or entities. This is part of the “in greater community” aspect of the metagame, but more on that later.)
So Coεmeta is not exactly a traditional ‘venture’ or typical small business or startup etc, but assumes some of those trappings for now. The ⏳ Timeline section recaps more of the motivations & considerations underlying all of this, & the 🗺 Frameworks section describes some of the strategic planning & wayfinding models I’ve used so far.
As elaborated in the full post, public work & contributing to knowledge commons are core parts of the overall metagame strategy & ethos. So this post is part of that: figuring it out as I go, learning while doing, in public. I hope to establish a template & cadence for these things.
ᵋ NB: I’m generally skeptical of this terminology & its associations with neoliberal / libertarian fantasies of fully atomized “sovereign individuals”, but “independent” isn’t quite adequate either.
🧬 Strategic Frameworks: sensemaking, planning & evaluation
As a decision science practitioner & general strategy nerd, I’ve seen how the right framework can simplify, clarify & streamline the task of making sense of information & (potential) actions — as long as we don’t mistake the map for the territory ᵋ. So I’ve made ample use of various models & frameworks in the planning & execution of Coεmeta to date. This is a short list of the most relevant & cogent.
ᵋ …a few more obligatory caveats & cautionary aphorisms regarding models & planning:
- “Plans are worthless, but planning is priceless”
- “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”
- (Optionality & OODA loops are often better than plans)
- “All models are wrong, but some are useful”
- See generally: complexity science & chaos theory, e.g. Robert May (1976)
- In fact the epsilon (“ε”) in Coεmeta is meant as a reminder of the ‘error margin’ in any model, estimate or probabilistic assessment. (see further details on this etymology in the timeline section)
⏳ Timeline
A brief timeline of relevant events, from Coεmeta’s conception, to launch in Jan 2022, to the time of writing on the vernal equinox of Mar 20, 2022.
꩜ Coda: Eval & Checkout
Vibe Check
I’ll leave the raw scorekeeping & evaluation metrics for another update, along with a formal open-source strategy repository for proper versions of some frameworks & other artifacts covered above. I wanna keep this post more narrative-based & vibey.
So speaking of vibe checks: I feel good.
I’ve found some of the greater balance I was seeking, in several areas:
- lifestyle (sleep, diet, activity, etc)
- inner & outer life (no longer perpetually socially exhausted by relentless compulsory sociality, I’m more open to voluntary sociality)
- work-life balance (& crucially, integration of some aspects of these, while maintaining healthy boundaries with greater autonomy)
And my more integrated work-life has been more rewarding, & more palpably impactful (though limited in scale & scope so far).
It’s extremely early in the game, & there have been challenges, setbacks, looming doubts & uncertainty, etc. I did a lot of planning & yet, predictably, things did not go exactly according to plan. But overall things are good & the path feels right. I look forward to continuing to shift to more of an outward focus, enabling clients & collaborators to be more impactful, & growing our mutual capacities together.
Exit to Infinity
The Coεmeta journey so far has been, frankly, smoother & more successful than I probably had any right to expect. And that is largely due to luck, & the kindness of others — e.g. peers & former colleagues generously making referrals & enthusiastic endorsements (or retweets) — more than anything I’ve done myself. As described above, I did a lot of planning & strategic sensemaking, put in the time & effort etc, but the most positive developments have all been precipitated by others, or lucky breaks.
I don’t expect this to continue indefinitely. There will be greater challenges, feasts & famines. Maybe there will be times when my big-brain planning frameworks produce the crucial insight or tactical adjustment which enables a great breakthrough. Maybe sheer determination & individual effort will carry the day. But I hope not. I’d rather continue to be primarily powered by the support of others, & return the favor, pay it forward & work synergistically whenever possible. And in the meantime I’ll continue wayfinding towards greater balance, integration & impact, by myself & with others.
That is the metagame, the infinite game:
a more balanced, integrated, enriching & impactful life in greater community
…& for now at least, with zeal & gratitude, I’m still playing 🙏🏼
Thanks for reading, follow me & the Coεmeta publication for past & future posts. And comment with your thoughts, questions or suggestions!
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Coεmeta is about finding truth together
We create data & sensemaking tools & services with positive externalities: supporting commons, solidarity economies & prosocial change.
Learn more at coemeta.xyz
